What a catch

Author: Brigitte Hafner
Photography: Antonia Pesenti

1:18PM, Dec 15, 2011

One of the things I love about summer holidays is cooking fish
with my friend Philip Cox. Better known for his architecture,
Philip is fabulous in the kitchen. He's one of those cooks who
produces wonderful dishes seemingly without effort, and I enjoy
watching his unique style of cooking; he's fast and almost
nonchalant in the way he throws things together. His confidence in
the kitchen and his repertoire of recipes have been honed over many
years of cooking for friends at his beach house in Bermagui.

Bermagui is located on the rugged south coast of New South
Wales, where fish are plentiful in the estuaries and along the
rocky shoreline. Friends gladly catch them and bring to Philip to
cook. When the fish aren't biting, he travels into town to buy them
from the local coop. There are often many guests coming and going,
and the food seems to simply appear and stretch to accommodate. I
still have a tantalising memory of the whiting fillets a friend
caught last summer. Philip cooked them over an open fire in a thin
iron pan in butter, a dash of peanut oil (which he prefers to olive
oil) and a good deal of coarsely grated lemon. As he flipped the
fish onto plates, he returned the pan to the fire for a moment to
brown the butter. The grated lemon zest imparted flavour and then
turned into wonderful crisp lemon chips. A very simple but
outstanding dish.

Just-caught fish cooked with skill is one of the most satisfying
things to eat. Fish needs little embellishment: a little
extra-virgin olive oil, some butter, salt flakes and lemon. On one
occasion Philip grilled garfish over hot coals and served them with
lemon, and as garfish are so delicate in flavour, they were
perfect.

Another memorable fish dish from Philip last summer was steamed
bream with ginger, spring onions, garlic and soy sauce, with
sizzling hot sesame oil drizzled over the whole fish just before it
was served. Divine. Then there was an excellent fish soup made with
a base of sautéed onion, celery, carrot, ginger, Malay curry paste
and fish stock (which Philip had made with the bones and heads of
the fish) passed through a coarse sieve. The small pieces of fish
were poached in this soup, which was finished with a splash of
Cognac.

The number-one secret to great tasting fish is freshness, so
look for specimens that smell of the ocean and have bright scales
and clear eyes that are bulging, not sunken. I usually buy whole
fish and then ask the fishmonger to scale and fillet them. You can
better judge the freshness of a whole fish than a fillet. Fillets
absorb water during their storage on ice, which leaches precious
oils, and hence flavour, from the fish.

Some fish are ideal for grilling, such as whole baby snapper,
salmon fillets and barramundi. Some are more suited to a flat
grill, generally varieties that are more delicate, such as whiting,
garfish and flathead. Either way, the grill should be very hot and
very clean and the fish should be brushed with oil so the skin
doesn't stick. I usually cook fish skin-side down first until it's
golden-brown, and flip it over onto the flesh only just at the end
to finish it off. Fish cooks very quickly (fillets need only a few
minutes), so keep a close eye on it, and it's ideal if you take the
fish off the heat just before it's cooked through, because it will
continue to cook as it rests.

How can you tell when a fish is cooked? Experienced cooks will give
the fish a prod at the thickest part to feel if the flesh gives
way, but you can also check for the "milk" that seeps from the fish
once it's cooked (be aware that this usually happens once it's past
the point of no return).

A few of my favourite accompaniments to serve with grilled fish
are avocado salsa with preserved lemon, chilli, coriander, lime
juice and extra-virgin olive oil; homemade mayonnaise with a touch
of crushed garlic; and tomato salsa made with the ripest of
tomatoes, finely chopped shallots, sumac, coriander, pomegranate
molasses and lots of extra-virgin olive oil.

This summer I'm taking some interesting spice blends and curry
pastes, extra-virgin olive oil and salt flakes on my journey to the
South Australian coast, so I can be adventurous with the fish I
cook. I also plan on stopping at Robe on my way to eat fresh
lobster. I find the flesh so rich and sweet and delicate that they
are best boiled in sea water, then served simply with aïoli or
mayonnaise or a fresh herb butter and some lemon wedges.